Hurricane Ida lashes Louisiana, knocks out New Orleans power
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hurricane Ida blasted ashore Sunday as one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S., knocking out power to all of New Orleans, blowing roofs off buildings and reversing the flow of the Mississippi River as it rushed from the Louisiana coast into one of the nation’s most important industrial corridors.
The hurricane was blamed for at least one death: a person found dead following a report of a fallen tree on a home in Prairieville, the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook. The person, who was not identified, was pronounced dead. Prairieville is a suburb of Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s capital city.
Live Updates: Ida, now a tropical storm, continues path of destruction
A rapidly weakening but still powerful Tropical Storm Ida was over southwestern Mississippi Monday morning after trudging north through Louisiana. Ida crashed into land as an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane Sunday. It was pummeling parts of the two states with heavy rain, a dangerous storm surge, damaging winds and flash flooding, the National Hurricane Center said.
More than a million homes and businesses were hit with power outages in Louisiana, according to PowerOutage.US. The entire city of New Orleans was in the dark.
Widespread cell service issues were reported, particularly in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Tropical Storm Ida Public Advisory
New Orleans Facing Weeks of Darkness on Hurricane Damage
(Bloomberg) — New Orleans may be without power and air conditioning for more than three weeks in the wake of Hurricane Ida, which roared ashore with more powerful winds than Hurricane Katrina, according to utility owner Entergy Corp.
Almost 750,000 homes and businesses were without power across Louisiana as of 7:26 p.m. local time on Sunday, according to Poweroutage.us, which tracks utility outages. The blackouts were concentrated in the southeastern tip of the state that includes New Orleans and where Ida made its U.S. landfall.
Hurricane Ida traps Louisianans, leaves the grid a shambles
Weakened, But Still Powerful, Tropical Storm Ida Leaves More Than A Million Without Power